Cultivator.



C. P. A. FRIBERG.

CULTIVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2. 1908.

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CULTIVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, I908.

Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

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CULTIVATOR.

APPLICATION FlLED JAN. 2. 1908.

Patented Feb. 18, 1917.

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CULTIVATOII.

APPLICATION FILED JAN- 2, I908.

Patenfed Feb. 13, 1917.

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i N QM QN V n UNITED STATES PATENT omen.

CHARLS P. A. FRIBERG, OF MOLIN 'E, ILLINOISTASSIGNOR TO DEERE & MANSUB ICOMPANY, OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

cunrrvarron Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 2', 1908. Serlal'No. 409,034.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OHARLS P. A. FRI- BERG, citizenof the United States,residing at Moline, in the county of Rock Island and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cultivators, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had therein tothe accompanydrawing.

his invention relates to improvements in cultivators, they pertainingmore particularly to. Cultivators of the straddle-row class. In manyrespects the improvements here presented are well adapted for use incultivators having disks for working the soil, but it'is to beunderstood that many of the structural matters presented are capable ofuse in machines having other working tool's.

Figurel is a top plan View of a cultivator embodying my improvementswith the parts shown in their central positions.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view showing principally the frames when they areadjusted laterally in one direction or the other.

Fig. 3 is a side'elevation of the machine, the axle being shown insection on the line 3, 3 of Fig. 1 and one of being removed. r

Fig. 4 is a side elevation similar to that of Fig. 3, except that thecultivator gangs are shown in their elevated positions.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation showing details of construction.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary rear elevation showing certain other details ofthe construction.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional elevation, the section being taken onthe line .7 7 in Fig. 1.

The implement as a whole may be understood as comprising the draft frameat A,

the wheel frame B, and the frame or frames at O for supporting andpropelling the disk gangs.

The frame A comprises the tongue or pole v 1 which at the rear has thebars or arms 2 extending backward therefrom and secured at their ends tothe frame-like casting 3,

which is pivotally secured at 3 to a' crossthe ground Wheels v havingthe relatively elevated central part 6, the downwardly extending leg'parts 7 p and the outwardly turned spindle portions 8 upon which thewheels E are mounted. This crank axle is held in an upright position bythe supplemental parts attached to it. There is an angle frame havingthe side bars 9, 9, connected by the curved part 10 at the frontandhaving their rear ends rigidly secured to the axle bar 6 by the clips orbrackets at 11. This frame 9, 10, is braced to the axle by means of thebraces 12 which are secured to the vertical legs 7 at their rear endsand to the horizontal bars 9 at their front ends. 13 is a curved bracebar connecting the side bars 9, 9 of the frame and 14 is a bar alsoextending from one of these bars 9 to the other and rigidly secured toboth, it being situated near the front end "of the wheel frame. This baris elevated at 'the central part so as to extend over or straddle acrossthe tongue 1.

15 is a lever extending from points where it can be accessible at therear of the ma chine forward to the tongue 1 to which it is secured by apivot at 16. It extends across B to the lines of draft, and also varythe. positions of the wheels E in relation thereto.'

When the lever is in the central position,

vPatented Feb. 13, 1917.

as shown in Fig. 1, theparts are so adjusted that the lines of travel ofthe wheels are parallel to the lines of draft. When the rear end of thelever is thrown to the right, as shown in 2 the forward part of thewheel frame is thrown to the right and the wheels are put at an angletothe lines of draft, the whole wheel frame being turned about the pivot3. By these devices the operator can accurately steer the working partsof the machine in whatever direction he desires. The manner in which theframe 9, 9,

10 and the frame C are shifted transversely relatively to the tongue ordraft frame,

will be clear from a comparison of the positions' of these frames shownin Fig. 2

with the positions shown in Fig. 1.

To steady frame 9, 9, 10 and hold it firm in relation to the tongue atits front end in whatsoever position, transversely, it may be put, useis made of a bar 9 riding in a guide or stirrup 1 secured to the underside of the tongue and having an anti-friction ,roller upon which thelower side of bar 9 rides (Fig.

18 designates a series of rack teeth formed on the upper cross bar ofthe frame-like casting 3. This rack 18 being held rigid in relation tothe tongue, furnishes the means for locking the frames and the draftdevices in any desired position. With the rack 18 engages a detent onthe under side of the lever 15 controlled by the thumbpiece orhand-latch 19.

Under some circumstances it is'desirable to allow the operator to usehis feet in effecting these adjustments in the position of the frameparts of the machine together with the axle and the wheels. 20, 20 arefoot-levers having their stirrup parts situated so that they can bereached by the feet of the driver. Each is pivoted at 21 to bracket 24secured to the frame 9. The upper ends of the levers are connectedbylinks 22 to a cross-head 23. This is rigidly secured to a spider orcross 23 and 23 is a bar also rigidly connected to the cross 23 andpivoted at 23 to the casting 3. The cross-head 23 is slidably connectedtothe lever 15 by means of the block 15' which is mounted between thebar 23 and the cross-head 23 on the pivot pin 23 This block has arectangular passage,in which the lever 15 is slid'ably mounted. If theoperator presses his foot upon the right hand lever 20, he draws backupon the link 22 and upon the right hand end of the cross-head 23, so asto swing it to the 1 right about the pivot 23, which results in movingthe forward end of the frame 9, 9, 10 toward the right. By. pressing hisfoot against the stirrup 20 on the left side, the parts will be moved inthe opposite direction. When the foot-system of levers is to be used,the detent engaging with the rack 18 should be withdrawn and can be heldout of engagement with the rack by means of the stop loop 19 which canbe thrown out so as to hold the thumb-latch in inoperative position. (v

The drag-bars for drawing the cultivator gangs are indicated by 27. Theyare curved inwardly at their forward ends and are flexibly connected tothe frame 9, 9, 10 preferably by ball and socket joints as shown at 28.

In the drawings, I have shown concavoconvex disks as the devices foracting on the 1913, upon my application, Ser. No. 482,311, filed March9, 1909, which application is a division of the present application. As,therefore, the specific form of the tool gang is not claimedin thisapplication, a detailed description thereof will not here be given.Suffice it to state that each gang comprises a frame or 'tool carrier,designated as an entirety by 35, which is rigidly secured to the lowerrear end of one of the drag bars 27, and this frame carries a series ofdisks 40, 40.. The gang frame is constructed so that the series of disksmay be adjusted universally, that is, about axes at right angles to eachother, as set forth in the divisional application above referred to.

The two gangs are connected by a bar 43, which is arched centrally topass over the plants of a row, and has its ends extending laterally andhorizontally. To these horizontally extending end sections of the bar,the gang frames are adjustably secured by means of clamps 44.

Each gang frame carries an adjustably mounted foot bar 89 having astirrup 90 and by means of these the operator can, to some extent,control the position of the gangs.

Each gang can be vertically adjusted as follows:- 95 is a rod whichextends upward from and is flexibly secured at 96 to lower part of therod and adapted to beardownward on the disk gang.

The bracket 103 is provided with a toothed locking segment at 104 withwhich a detent carried by the lever 97 is adapted to engage so as tohold the lever and the gangs in any desired position. 105 is a springwhich is connected at one end to the lever and at the other to a hookedprojection 103 carried by the bracket 103. As the hand lever is raisedor lowered, the tension of the spring 105 tends to pull it down or up,according as the upper end of the spring is below or above a linethrough the pivot 98 and the lower, stationary end of the spring. Theparts are so disposed in relation to each other, that the lever is inthe neutral position when the lower edges of the tools are about at thesurface of the earth, and thus the spring assists both the downwardmovement of the lever to lift the tools and its upper movement to forcethe tools into the earth.

cultivators it has been proposed to fixedly pivot the tool-carryingframe in such a way that it can be swung laterally to follow to acertain extent the irregularities of the rows. But I believe myself tohave been the first to provide a pivotal connection (or two closelyadjacent pivotal connections) for the cultivator frame near the normalcenter of the machine and to provide means whereby this normally centralpivotal connection can be moved laterally. The'two tool gangs are heldspaced apart by means of the bar 43 to operate on the two sides of aplant row and they are held equally distant from the centrally locateddraft point by means of the bars 27, 27. This normally rigid tool frametherefore holds the tools always in fixed relationship to each other andto the plant row when the front end of the tool frame is properlyguided. It is impossible for the distance between the tool gangs to varyand it is impossible forone gang to get ahead of the other so as tocause the gangs to act successively instead of simultaneously on theplants. And in this respect a cultivator embodying my invention. is tobe contrasted with earlier proposed cultivators in which, instead of arigid tool frame drawn from a central pivot point, there were providedtwo separate independently movable draft frames drawn from pivotalpoints widely separated transversely. And I also believe myself to havebeen the first to com: bine three frames in the'manner described.

that is, with the wheel frame and the draft right or to the left, andthe same movement of the wheel frame also moves the tool frame to causeit to follow the row. The tool frame, being rigid, serves, as beforestated,

to hold the two tool gangs in fixed relationship to each other and tothe plant rows.

What I claim is:

1. In a cultivator, the combination of the wheels, the arched wheelframe, the draft frame, the two tool gangs, the two drag bars extendingfrom the central longitudinalvertical planes of' the machine outward,downward and backward and having their front ends arranged to swinglaterally of the machine independently of the draft frame,

the tool gangs secured to the lower rear ends of the drag bars, anintermediate frame rigid with the arched frame and pivotally connectednear the arched frame to the draft frame and extending forward from thepivotal connection to the centrally arranged front ends of the dragbars, means for laterally moving the front ends of the drag bars and ofthe intermediate frame independently of the draft frame, and a slidingguide and bracing mechanism in transverse vertical planes between theaforesaid pivotal connection and the front ends of the drag bars.

2. The combination of the wheel frame, the draft frame, means pivotallyconnecting the wheel frame and the draft frame, the tool supportingdevices, the hand lever adapted to swing the wheel frame relative to thedraft frame, the foot lever carried by the wheel frame, and a connectionbetween foot levers and the hand lever comprising a' lever fulcrumed onone of the said frames whereby the latter can be moved in one direc-'tion by one foot lever and in the other direction by the other footlever to cause the swinging of the wheel frame relative to the draftframe, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the draft frame, the wheels, the wheel frame,means pivotally connecting the wheel frame and the draft frame, the toolgangs, the drag bars extending from the tool gangs forward and upwardand having their front ends pivotally connected to a carrier rigid withthe wheel frame independently of the'draft frame, a foot lever systemadapted to adjust the drag bars and tool gangs independently of thedraft frame, and a hand lever system interconnected with the foot leversystem and adapted to similarly adjust the drag bars and gangs, saidlever systems being optionally usable alternately or simultaneously,substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of the draft frame, the wheels, the wheel frame,means pivotally connecting the wheel frame and the draft frame, the toolgangs, the drag bars extending forward and upward from the tool gangsand having their front ends pivotally at tached to a carrier rigid withthe wheel frame independently of the draft frame, a

foot lever system and a hand lever system in- In testimon whereof Iaflix my signature, terconnected with each other and both adaptinpresence 0 two witnesses. ed to move the front ends of the drag barsCHARLS P. A. FRIBERG.

and-the wheel frame laterally, and means Witnesses:

5 for locking both of the leversystems in BAILEY W. AVERY,

difierentangular positions. OTTO A. TREFZ.

